योगवासिष्ठः yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ - book-7, chapter-214, verse-20

कथमेतां जनो वेत्ति विना भवदनुग्रहम् ।
विनैव सेतुं पोतं वा बालोऽब्धिं लङ्घयेत्कथम् ॥ २० ॥

kathametāṃ jano vetti vinā bhavadanugraham ,
vinaiva setuṃ potaṃ vā bālo'bdhiṃ laṅghayetkatham 20

20. katham etām janaḥ vetti vinā bhavat anugraham vinā
eva setum potam vā bālaḥ abdhim laṅghayet katham

20. janaḥ etām katham vetti bhavat anugraham vinā
eva bālaḥ setum vā potam abdhim katham laṅghayet

20. How can a person comprehend this without your grace? How indeed could a child cross the ocean without a bridge or a boat?

Words meanings summery:

• कथम् (katham) - how, why

• एताम् (etām) - this profound knowledge/truth (implied) (this, this one)

• जनः (janaḥ) - a person, people, man

• वेत्ति (vetti) - knows, understands

• विना (vinā) - without

• भवत् (bhavat) - your (referring to a respectful address) (your, you (honorific))

• अनुग्रहम् (anugraham) - grace, favor, kindness

• विना (vinā) - without

• एव (eva) - indeed (emphasizing 'without') (indeed, only, just, even)

• सेतुम् (setum) - a bridge, a dam

• पोतम् (potam) - a boat, a ship

• वा (vā) - or, either... or

• बालः (bālaḥ) - a child (symbolizing helplessness) (a child, a young person, a naive or foolish person)

• अब्धिम् (abdhim) - the ocean, a sea

• लङ्घयेत् (laṅghayet) - would cross, should cross, might transgress

• कथम् (katham) - how, why

Words meanings and morphology

कथम् (katham) - how, why

(indeclinable)

एताम् (etām) - this profound knowledge/truth (implied) (this, this one)

(pronoun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of etad

etad - this, this one

Demonstrative pronoun

Note: Refers to knowledge/truth implicitly.

जनः (janaḥ) - a person, people, man

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of jana

jana - person, man, creature, people

Root: jan (class 4)

वेत्ति (vetti) - knows, understands

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present indicative (laṭ) of √vid

Present indicative

2nd class verb

Root: vid (class 2)

विना (vinā) - without

(indeclinable)

Preposition/postposition governing accusative, instrumental, or ablative

भवत् (bhavat) - your (referring to a respectful address) (your, you (honorific))

(pronoun)

singular of bhavat

bhavat - you (honorific), your

Present active participle of √bhū

Used as an honorific pronoun

Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Part of semantic compound 'bhavad-anugraham'.

अनुग्रहम् (anugraham) - grace, favor, kindness

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of anugraha

anugraha - grace, favor, kindness

From anu + √grah

Prefix: anu

Root: grah (class 9)

Note: Forms a semantic compound 'bhavat-anugraham' ('your grace') with the preceding word, declined in accusative.

विना (vinā) - without

(indeclinable)

Preposition/postposition governing accusative, instrumental, or ablative

एव (eva) - indeed (emphasizing 'without') (indeed, only, just, even)

(indeclinable)

Emphatic particle

सेतुम् (setum) - a bridge, a dam

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of setu

setu - bridge, dam, bank

पोतम् (potam) - a boat, a ship

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of pota

pota - boat, ship

वा (vā) - or, either... or

(indeclinable)

Conjunction

बालः (bālaḥ) - a child (symbolizing helplessness) (a child, a young person, a naive or foolish person)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bāla

bāla - child, young, immature, naive

अब्धिम् (abdhim) - the ocean, a sea

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of abdhi

abdhi - ocean, sea

From ap + √dhā, 'water-holder'

Root: dhā (class 3)

लङ्घयेत् (laṅghayet) - would cross, should cross, might transgress

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of √laṅgh

Optative mood

1st class verb (laṅghati), optative 3rd person singular

Root: laṅgh (class 1)

कथम् (katham) - how, why

(indeclinable)